Thanks to:
Rubyjuls1722: THANKS! I think, hey, did you expect otherwise? J/K. Sorry if Ginny seems too naïve for you, but, I have to have a naïve person fall in love with Draco, don't I?
VirtualFaerie: Of course I know you love it, but I need closure! LoL. Hope you can get that pesky Daria theme song out of your head! ^.^
Quiet One: I'm sorry, once again about the fact I DIDN'T post soon! I feel so wretched! I tried to make this long and this chappy explains lots of things, but the mysterious intruder is not among them! Sorry! ):
Pre-A/N: ::surveys the thanks:: What a motley bunch of reviews! Is that ALL the encouragement you people expect me to write on?! Is that all you guys can muster?! HUH?! Well, that's all gonna change: From here on out, for this lil' piece of fanfiction, I demand, er, at least 6,000,000 reviews!!! Too much? Well, I suppose after that, you guys can manage a measly 6 reviews, couldn't you?
Real A/N: Okay, folks. This chapter answers some questions and makes some new ones. Read on, brave readers, and speculate in your reviews! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ginny raced to the infirmary, her cheeks inflamed from keeping her shrieks of humiliation in check. That scene in the Great Hall, which was heretofore to be called The Incident, sealed her fate; she could NEVER win the affections of Harry, not HER! She just HAD to tell someone, even if that someone couldn't hear her.
When she arrived at the infirmary, she was in a slightly less flustered state and was intensely relieved to see no sign of Madam Pomfrey. [But why wasn't she there?] Her errant brain insisted on asking. She didn't care and she didn't want to know. She hurried to Dawn's room and sank down next to the placid figure of her best friend. The whole embarrassing scene- ahem, I mean, The Incident, poured out of her, interspersed with a torrent of sobbing.
"Oh, Dawn, you wouldn't believe- the mashed potatoes- Millicent-." [Right, if she were awake, she would really understand what you were talking about.] her brain said sarcastically. She composed herself, though the tears still streamed. She clutched the pale white blanket in her hands, her knuckles almost as white as the blanket.
"Ok; when I woke up, I was confused and Harry asked me out. I fainted and when I came to, Ron told me that Harry told him to tell me to meet him at the Great Hall at dinner. I was SO happy! I dressed up and everything, and I stopped by here- by the way, Malfoy was here and- never mind- and then I went downstairs all graceful but then I tripped and splashed mashed potatoes all over Harry and I was cleaning him up and then-" Ginny blushed. ^At least Malfoy wasn't there^
"And then, I was wiping really hard at this particularly big spot of mashed potatoes and these people made tawdry jokes, and when I looked I was rubbing his- his-" she strove to finish, but before she did, "His what? His phallus?" Draco emerged from the shadows, his trademark smirk firmly in place.
"What are YOU doing here?" Ginny nearly shrieked, her face flushing redder than her hair. "Breathing, just like you," Draco answered with his characteristic arrogance.
Ginny sputtered. "B-But your not SUPPOSED to be here!"
"Why?"
"Because, this is private!"
"So?"
"Have you no sense of privacy?!"
"Have YOU no consideration? Have you ever thought that OTHER people might like to talk to Dawn, also! You're not a privileged person, the only one who gets to talk to her!"
Ginny quieted. "You're right," She conceded, sinking down into a chair. "You're absolutely right." She looked up at him earnestly. "I'm sorry, Malfoy. That WAS inconsiderate."
Draco raised one eyebrow, the only testament to his surprise.
She continued talking in a quiet voice. "I just want to know Malfoy, why are you here? There's no logical reason. You're a Slytherin, she's a Gryfinddor."
"Well, you see, she's a science experiment for this new disease and I wanted to see how the disease was working." If not for the sarcastic lilt in his voice, Ginny would have believed him. He was certainly cold-hearted and evil enough.
"Malfoy, you know what I want."
"No I don't," Draco denied, a goading smirk on his pale face.
"I want the truth!" Ginny shouted.
"Are you sure? It may be what you THINK you want, but it might not be what you REALLY want," Draco replied. With those bewildering words, he left the infirmary, a convenient cloak swirling about him dramatically.
Ginny sighed; she really hadn't expected any better. She turned back to Dawn. "What a jerk."
"I know."
Ginny recoiled, the unexpected words unexpected. Her shock dissolved almost instantly into happiness. "YAY! You're awake!" Ginny yelled, inanely happy.
"Yes I am! So, Ginny, I heard the whole thing, and I'm so sorry about The Incident. I'm sure that didn't doom your relationship with Harry. You could still impress him on your date!" Dawn said reasonably.
"Oh, THANKS, Dawn! I knew you would cheer me up! You're just the greatest best fri-" Ginny trailed off at the serious expression on Dawn's still pale face.
"I heard you and Malfoy talking; what is it you want besides advice? I know there's something else you want from me."
"I want the truth."
Dawn stiffened, sitting up abruptly and hollering to Ginny's immense surprise, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!"
"What's the matter with you, Dawn? I was just wondering why Malfoy always visited you and why he was the only one allowed to know about your condition! It's called curiosity, Dawn! Geez, what got up your ass?" Ginny answered angrily.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry; it's just that our relationship is a bit- complicated." Dawn explained apologetically.
"Don't worry about it, just tell me the whole thing and I promise I won't tell anyone else and I'll instantly forgive you."
"If I don't?" Dawn asked, quirking an eyebrow in a manner that seemed to scream 'Draco!'.
"I won't forgive you and I'll tell nasty tales," Ginny answered, smiling a bit to show she was joking. "That's my ultimatum." Ginny's eyes hardened. "I want to know what's going on, Dawn. I think it behooves you to tell me since I'm your best friend!"
"Alright, don't get your panties in a twist!" Dawn said, her hands raised in a placating gesture. "The fact of the matter is that- will, really-" Dawn paused, wringing her hands.
"Oh, come on, Dawn, you can tell me! It's not like you and Malfoy are a couple!" Ginny encouraged. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "Or AREN'T you?" Ginny asked, seeming about to faint. Dawn, and Malfoy?
It couldn't be! And yet, it seemed it was. It all came together. The visits to Dawn, the asking about Dawn, the only one who knew about Dawn's condition! They were lovers!!! ::thunder crashes:: ::lightning booms:: Dun dun DUN!!!!
Ginny felt herself being shaken. "Ginny! Ginny! GIIIIIINNNYY!!!" It was Dawn. "What? WADDYA want?!"
"What happened? You looked all woozy and then you fell down! Is your head alright?" Dawn asked worriedly.
"Yes, but, please, PLEASE, spare me the details!" Ginny pleaded.
Dawn was bewildered, her eyebrows contracting swiftly. "About what?"
"Why, about your relationship with Malfoy, of course! You know! The tawdry details! The proclamations of love! I really could do without them, right now," Ginny said a bit faintly.
"What ARE you talking about?! We're not a couple! We're just long- lost relatives!" Dawn said.
Ginny sagged in relief, her expression one of those you put on when you're unexpectedly let out of jail. She straightened. Wait a minute. long- lost relations? HELLO!
"What do you mean?! SPILL!"
Under the evil influential glare of Ginny, Dawn answered, "Well, you see, I was abandoned at birth in America. I was living a normal life although I did notice some weird things about me. One day, I got a visitor. My foster parents were crying a lot and I thought that something horrible was up. Then I found out that my visitor was my actual mom. She told me that she wanted a daughter and her agents had dredged up my name. She welcomed me home but when I got there, I wished I was back in America. The father seemed really cold and cool and his son, Draco, the same." Dawn paused for breath.
"It was summer, so me and Draco got to know each other and I found out that he wasn't all bad; he just had to look that way. Afterwards we got really close and that's why Draco was so concerned about me."
"Ooh. I see, now. Thanks for telling me, I really appreciate the trust you've given me," Ginny said warmly. "Oh, but now can you tell me what happened when you kissed Seamus?"
"Oh, THAT. Well, Lucius wanted to marry me off to some horrible co- worker when I was of age, so he could get more rich and powerful. So he put a spell on me so that if anyone voluntarily kissed me, I or the kisser would get a potentially fatal disease. If it was something I agreed to or wanted, we would have died simultaneously. Fortunately, I didn't really want to because I don't like Seamus! However, there may be relapses but Dumbledore says I should be fine," Dawn said, taking a sip of water from the nightstand after her lengthy explanation.
"Oh, ok then. So you'll be alright," Ginny said yawning. "Well, good night. See you tomorrow."
Ginny headed up to the Gryfinddor common room, relaxed and happy. This day went much better than yesterday: she would have a bed; her brain didn't talk nearly as much, she had a date with Harry, Dawn woke up, she understood something. yep, all was well. Although. she wished that she could have avoided The Incident.
The next day dawned bright and early. Ginny swung her legs off the bed and hit Crookshanks. Expecting carpeted floor, and meeting squishy softness drew out an involuntary squeak from Ginny. Today was weekend and it was the day of her date with Harry. She could almost squeal with joy.
She spent most of her day with Dawn and Hermione, shopping in Hogsmeade for her perfect attire. After effectively wearing down her Muggle shoes, they finally found a store that Ginny liked. She bought a silky gray shirt that went with her hair and a pair or hip hugging jeans. To go along with it, she bought a pair of platform shoes and bought some perfume. They then traipsed to a nearby manicure and pedicure salon, Ginny also getting her hair done into spiraling curls.
When she got back to Hogwarts, she put on all her clothes and jewelry and modeled in front of her admiring friends. They all assured her that she would be a hit with Harry and that Harry probably forgot The Incident. Hermione left, explaining that she had detention with Snape for 'being a know-it-all one too many times'. After Hermione left, Dawn told Ginny she had to talk to her.
"Ginny, I'm really glad you got what you wanted and I feel soo much better, knowing that you know about me and Draco."
"But?" Ginny prompted.
"But I noticed that you still don't seem to like him. I was wondering if you would agree to spending more time with him and get to know him a little better."
"WHAT? I don't want to do that!"
"Oh, please, Gin? It just makes me horribly uncomfortable to have my brother and my best friend glaring at each other! He's really quite nice."
"Well, I don't know," Ginny said doubtfully. "But I guess I could do that."
"Oh thank you!" Dawn said, leaping up and clapping her hands in excitement. "I'll go arrange EVERYTHING!" As Dawn turned to leave, Ginny said,
"Dawn, wait!"
"What?"
"I'm just curious; what would you have done if I had said no?"
"You wouldn't want to know. Now go get Harry!"
As Dawn left also, Ginny glanced up at the clock. There was barely five minutes left for her to rush back to Hogsmeade! Just as she leapt up, an owl fluttered through the window. The owl circled, dropped a small piece of parchment. It was in a bright cheery yellow. The contents were not bright, nor cheery:
Dearest Ginny, I am downtrodden to say that I cannot escort you to Hogsmeade as we planned. Something terribly amiss has come up and I must fix the problem immediately. This will take all the rest of the day, so I must impart to you the terrible news that our date will have to be postponed. Your saddest beau, Harry Potter
Ginny gasped, sitting on the floor with a jarring abruptness she didn't notice. How could it be. her beloved Harry. had. stood her up! She climbed awkwardly onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow and sobbing as the whole import of that letter slammed into her.
Unbeknownst to the crying figure, the door creaked open and closed again, the only clue as to who it was, a glint of white.
Rubyjuls1722: THANKS! I think, hey, did you expect otherwise? J/K. Sorry if Ginny seems too naïve for you, but, I have to have a naïve person fall in love with Draco, don't I?
VirtualFaerie: Of course I know you love it, but I need closure! LoL. Hope you can get that pesky Daria theme song out of your head! ^.^
Quiet One: I'm sorry, once again about the fact I DIDN'T post soon! I feel so wretched! I tried to make this long and this chappy explains lots of things, but the mysterious intruder is not among them! Sorry! ):
Pre-A/N: ::surveys the thanks:: What a motley bunch of reviews! Is that ALL the encouragement you people expect me to write on?! Is that all you guys can muster?! HUH?! Well, that's all gonna change: From here on out, for this lil' piece of fanfiction, I demand, er, at least 6,000,000 reviews!!! Too much? Well, I suppose after that, you guys can manage a measly 6 reviews, couldn't you?
Real A/N: Okay, folks. This chapter answers some questions and makes some new ones. Read on, brave readers, and speculate in your reviews! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ginny raced to the infirmary, her cheeks inflamed from keeping her shrieks of humiliation in check. That scene in the Great Hall, which was heretofore to be called The Incident, sealed her fate; she could NEVER win the affections of Harry, not HER! She just HAD to tell someone, even if that someone couldn't hear her.
When she arrived at the infirmary, she was in a slightly less flustered state and was intensely relieved to see no sign of Madam Pomfrey. [But why wasn't she there?] Her errant brain insisted on asking. She didn't care and she didn't want to know. She hurried to Dawn's room and sank down next to the placid figure of her best friend. The whole embarrassing scene- ahem, I mean, The Incident, poured out of her, interspersed with a torrent of sobbing.
"Oh, Dawn, you wouldn't believe- the mashed potatoes- Millicent-." [Right, if she were awake, she would really understand what you were talking about.] her brain said sarcastically. She composed herself, though the tears still streamed. She clutched the pale white blanket in her hands, her knuckles almost as white as the blanket.
"Ok; when I woke up, I was confused and Harry asked me out. I fainted and when I came to, Ron told me that Harry told him to tell me to meet him at the Great Hall at dinner. I was SO happy! I dressed up and everything, and I stopped by here- by the way, Malfoy was here and- never mind- and then I went downstairs all graceful but then I tripped and splashed mashed potatoes all over Harry and I was cleaning him up and then-" Ginny blushed. ^At least Malfoy wasn't there^
"And then, I was wiping really hard at this particularly big spot of mashed potatoes and these people made tawdry jokes, and when I looked I was rubbing his- his-" she strove to finish, but before she did, "His what? His phallus?" Draco emerged from the shadows, his trademark smirk firmly in place.
"What are YOU doing here?" Ginny nearly shrieked, her face flushing redder than her hair. "Breathing, just like you," Draco answered with his characteristic arrogance.
Ginny sputtered. "B-But your not SUPPOSED to be here!"
"Why?"
"Because, this is private!"
"So?"
"Have you no sense of privacy?!"
"Have YOU no consideration? Have you ever thought that OTHER people might like to talk to Dawn, also! You're not a privileged person, the only one who gets to talk to her!"
Ginny quieted. "You're right," She conceded, sinking down into a chair. "You're absolutely right." She looked up at him earnestly. "I'm sorry, Malfoy. That WAS inconsiderate."
Draco raised one eyebrow, the only testament to his surprise.
She continued talking in a quiet voice. "I just want to know Malfoy, why are you here? There's no logical reason. You're a Slytherin, she's a Gryfinddor."
"Well, you see, she's a science experiment for this new disease and I wanted to see how the disease was working." If not for the sarcastic lilt in his voice, Ginny would have believed him. He was certainly cold-hearted and evil enough.
"Malfoy, you know what I want."
"No I don't," Draco denied, a goading smirk on his pale face.
"I want the truth!" Ginny shouted.
"Are you sure? It may be what you THINK you want, but it might not be what you REALLY want," Draco replied. With those bewildering words, he left the infirmary, a convenient cloak swirling about him dramatically.
Ginny sighed; she really hadn't expected any better. She turned back to Dawn. "What a jerk."
"I know."
Ginny recoiled, the unexpected words unexpected. Her shock dissolved almost instantly into happiness. "YAY! You're awake!" Ginny yelled, inanely happy.
"Yes I am! So, Ginny, I heard the whole thing, and I'm so sorry about The Incident. I'm sure that didn't doom your relationship with Harry. You could still impress him on your date!" Dawn said reasonably.
"Oh, THANKS, Dawn! I knew you would cheer me up! You're just the greatest best fri-" Ginny trailed off at the serious expression on Dawn's still pale face.
"I heard you and Malfoy talking; what is it you want besides advice? I know there's something else you want from me."
"I want the truth."
Dawn stiffened, sitting up abruptly and hollering to Ginny's immense surprise, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!"
"What's the matter with you, Dawn? I was just wondering why Malfoy always visited you and why he was the only one allowed to know about your condition! It's called curiosity, Dawn! Geez, what got up your ass?" Ginny answered angrily.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry; it's just that our relationship is a bit- complicated." Dawn explained apologetically.
"Don't worry about it, just tell me the whole thing and I promise I won't tell anyone else and I'll instantly forgive you."
"If I don't?" Dawn asked, quirking an eyebrow in a manner that seemed to scream 'Draco!'.
"I won't forgive you and I'll tell nasty tales," Ginny answered, smiling a bit to show she was joking. "That's my ultimatum." Ginny's eyes hardened. "I want to know what's going on, Dawn. I think it behooves you to tell me since I'm your best friend!"
"Alright, don't get your panties in a twist!" Dawn said, her hands raised in a placating gesture. "The fact of the matter is that- will, really-" Dawn paused, wringing her hands.
"Oh, come on, Dawn, you can tell me! It's not like you and Malfoy are a couple!" Ginny encouraged. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "Or AREN'T you?" Ginny asked, seeming about to faint. Dawn, and Malfoy?
It couldn't be! And yet, it seemed it was. It all came together. The visits to Dawn, the asking about Dawn, the only one who knew about Dawn's condition! They were lovers!!! ::thunder crashes:: ::lightning booms:: Dun dun DUN!!!!
Ginny felt herself being shaken. "Ginny! Ginny! GIIIIIINNNYY!!!" It was Dawn. "What? WADDYA want?!"
"What happened? You looked all woozy and then you fell down! Is your head alright?" Dawn asked worriedly.
"Yes, but, please, PLEASE, spare me the details!" Ginny pleaded.
Dawn was bewildered, her eyebrows contracting swiftly. "About what?"
"Why, about your relationship with Malfoy, of course! You know! The tawdry details! The proclamations of love! I really could do without them, right now," Ginny said a bit faintly.
"What ARE you talking about?! We're not a couple! We're just long- lost relatives!" Dawn said.
Ginny sagged in relief, her expression one of those you put on when you're unexpectedly let out of jail. She straightened. Wait a minute. long- lost relations? HELLO!
"What do you mean?! SPILL!"
Under the evil influential glare of Ginny, Dawn answered, "Well, you see, I was abandoned at birth in America. I was living a normal life although I did notice some weird things about me. One day, I got a visitor. My foster parents were crying a lot and I thought that something horrible was up. Then I found out that my visitor was my actual mom. She told me that she wanted a daughter and her agents had dredged up my name. She welcomed me home but when I got there, I wished I was back in America. The father seemed really cold and cool and his son, Draco, the same." Dawn paused for breath.
"It was summer, so me and Draco got to know each other and I found out that he wasn't all bad; he just had to look that way. Afterwards we got really close and that's why Draco was so concerned about me."
"Ooh. I see, now. Thanks for telling me, I really appreciate the trust you've given me," Ginny said warmly. "Oh, but now can you tell me what happened when you kissed Seamus?"
"Oh, THAT. Well, Lucius wanted to marry me off to some horrible co- worker when I was of age, so he could get more rich and powerful. So he put a spell on me so that if anyone voluntarily kissed me, I or the kisser would get a potentially fatal disease. If it was something I agreed to or wanted, we would have died simultaneously. Fortunately, I didn't really want to because I don't like Seamus! However, there may be relapses but Dumbledore says I should be fine," Dawn said, taking a sip of water from the nightstand after her lengthy explanation.
"Oh, ok then. So you'll be alright," Ginny said yawning. "Well, good night. See you tomorrow."
Ginny headed up to the Gryfinddor common room, relaxed and happy. This day went much better than yesterday: she would have a bed; her brain didn't talk nearly as much, she had a date with Harry, Dawn woke up, she understood something. yep, all was well. Although. she wished that she could have avoided The Incident.
The next day dawned bright and early. Ginny swung her legs off the bed and hit Crookshanks. Expecting carpeted floor, and meeting squishy softness drew out an involuntary squeak from Ginny. Today was weekend and it was the day of her date with Harry. She could almost squeal with joy.
She spent most of her day with Dawn and Hermione, shopping in Hogsmeade for her perfect attire. After effectively wearing down her Muggle shoes, they finally found a store that Ginny liked. She bought a silky gray shirt that went with her hair and a pair or hip hugging jeans. To go along with it, she bought a pair of platform shoes and bought some perfume. They then traipsed to a nearby manicure and pedicure salon, Ginny also getting her hair done into spiraling curls.
When she got back to Hogwarts, she put on all her clothes and jewelry and modeled in front of her admiring friends. They all assured her that she would be a hit with Harry and that Harry probably forgot The Incident. Hermione left, explaining that she had detention with Snape for 'being a know-it-all one too many times'. After Hermione left, Dawn told Ginny she had to talk to her.
"Ginny, I'm really glad you got what you wanted and I feel soo much better, knowing that you know about me and Draco."
"But?" Ginny prompted.
"But I noticed that you still don't seem to like him. I was wondering if you would agree to spending more time with him and get to know him a little better."
"WHAT? I don't want to do that!"
"Oh, please, Gin? It just makes me horribly uncomfortable to have my brother and my best friend glaring at each other! He's really quite nice."
"Well, I don't know," Ginny said doubtfully. "But I guess I could do that."
"Oh thank you!" Dawn said, leaping up and clapping her hands in excitement. "I'll go arrange EVERYTHING!" As Dawn turned to leave, Ginny said,
"Dawn, wait!"
"What?"
"I'm just curious; what would you have done if I had said no?"
"You wouldn't want to know. Now go get Harry!"
As Dawn left also, Ginny glanced up at the clock. There was barely five minutes left for her to rush back to Hogsmeade! Just as she leapt up, an owl fluttered through the window. The owl circled, dropped a small piece of parchment. It was in a bright cheery yellow. The contents were not bright, nor cheery:
Dearest Ginny, I am downtrodden to say that I cannot escort you to Hogsmeade as we planned. Something terribly amiss has come up and I must fix the problem immediately. This will take all the rest of the day, so I must impart to you the terrible news that our date will have to be postponed. Your saddest beau, Harry Potter
Ginny gasped, sitting on the floor with a jarring abruptness she didn't notice. How could it be. her beloved Harry. had. stood her up! She climbed awkwardly onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow and sobbing as the whole import of that letter slammed into her.
Unbeknownst to the crying figure, the door creaked open and closed again, the only clue as to who it was, a glint of white.